Quick Links

Favorite Kid Songs

Here are some of my favorite kid songs, defined as songs starring children (or in movies starring them in prominent capacities), those I loved as a child and still cannot get enough of, or those from contemporary film related to children I know children enjoy. The filters -- no more than one numbered item from a film, and no song beginning with the word 'Papa', because that would mean the video to my #1 would not involve a kid :) Please add your favorites, I'm sure there are tons I've left out and missed! All videos are accessible as of the publication of this post.

12. Chal Chal Chal Mere Haathi from Haathi Mere Saathi(1971). No kids in what is most surely a car song, but as much a kid song to me. A memorable tune from one of the first films I remember seeing, courtesy Laxmikant-Pyarelal, lyrics by Anand Bakshi, and vocals by Kishore Kumar.

11. Yaadon Ki Baaraat from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). Lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, music by R. D. Burman, and vocals by Lata Mangeshkar, Padmini Kolhapure and Shivangi Kolapure. I remember listening to (and liking) this song as a child. Somehow, I've managed to avoid Aamir Khan's debut film (he's the youngest kid in the video), but I have it, and am looking forward to seeing Zeenat Aman and Neetu Singh!

10. Sun Lo Sunaata Hoon from Andaz (1971) starring Shammi Kapoor, with music by Shankar-Jaikishan, lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and vocals by Mohammad Rafi. I contemplated mentioning it in the car songs post (which had another fantastic tune by the Rafi-Shammi duo), but it's more relevant here.

9. Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hainfrom Mother India(1957). I like Nagri Nagri more, but this has got to be one of the most iconic images in the history of film, and for that alone, it is worth a mention. Music by Naushad, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni, and vocals by Lata Mangeshkar.

7. Hawaa Hawaaii from Mr. India (1987), music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and (this is unverified, I'm relying on my ear, so if you know it's incorrect, please point it out) vocals by Kavita Krishnamurthy. The theme is hardly relevant here. There are no kids in this song either, but the movie (and other songs) involved several. I laugh when I see this now (that first minute is such a waste), but dear oh dear was this catchy and hip back in the late 1980s or what! It's a song I fell in love with as a kid, from a movie I fell in love with as a kid. And I didn't need to see that song with Sridevi in a blue saree (which my parents always fast-forwarded through) to tell me she was among my earliest favorites; at the time right next to Neelam, Amrita Singh and Sangeeta Bijlani. Then came Juhi Chawla and Bhagyashree, but that's another story ;)

6. Cheel Cheel Cheelake from Half Ticket (1962), with lyrics by Shailendra, music by Salil Choudhary, and vocals by Kishore Kumar. I haven't seen the film, but this song makes me want to. Not sure when I first listened to it, what is for certain is that it has never ceased to entertain.

5. Yun Hi Kat Jaayega Safar from Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke (1993). Speaking of Juhi Chawla (in #7), here's a fine song from a fine film. Also doubles a car song. Lyrics by Sameer, music by Nadeem-Shravan, and vocals by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik. Excuse the heroine worship for a second (more, for life!), but...awwwwww...this is so picture perfect! Haaye Allah!

4. Yeh Taara Woh Taara from Swades(2004). If you've read this review, you know what I think of the film (and a scene involving a child). (Aside: As suggested here, if you haven't seen it, try seeing it and Rang De Basanti (2006) before seeing the upcoming Delhi-6 (2009)). This is a magnificent song, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, music by A. R. Rahman, and vocals by Udit Narayan and several child artists. The symbolism is fantastic. The scenes leading up to it include #11 above.

Aside: Mitwaa from Lagaan (2001) -- the film that has it all -- also starred a kid, albeit for a short enough duration for me to not list it here (it's among my two favorite songs of all time, and of course it deserves to be mentioned :P).

3. Eechak Dana Beechak Dana from Shree 420 (1955). Lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri, music by Shankar-Jaikishan, and vocals by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. A delightful song from a delightful film, and Nargis and Raj Kapoor in fine form. And a drawing of an anaar (pomegranate) -- the fruit of the heavens -- on that blackboard to top it all off! Definitely check out Sita-ji's fantastic post comprising it, which also includes some of her brilliant artwork.

1. Bum Bum Bole from Taare Zameen Par(2007). We'd might as well compile a top five list with songs from this film (Mera Jahaan, for instance). Added bonus for Bum Bum Bole, Masti Mein Dole being among the first sentences my two year old nephew will ever have uttered. That's my sweet revenge for him being the only person who can break my eyeglasses, laugh, and not face any consequences (he's done it, more than once; and yes, I still dislike contacts).

1. Lakdi Ki Kaathi from Masoom (1983). Lyrics by Gulzar, music by R. D. Burman, and vocals by Gauri Bapat, Gurpreet Kaur, and Vanita Mishra. The child artists in the video are Urmila Matondkar, Jugal Hansraj, and Aradhna. This is an easy one too, and (please correct me if I'm wrong) most 1980s kids have only very, very fond memories associated with it!

No honorable mention to Yash-Raj for wasting an abundance of talent (and cinematographic potential, this is well shot!) in recycling a tune from Hum Tum (2004) in Fanaa (2007).And finally...I figured this might be an appropriate setting for it -- here's me lounging around back in the day, trying to dance to a song no one seems to remember. My theory is it's some combination of this, this, and this (truth is, Parveen Babi came before Sridevi ;), but these songs and more will make their way with other party tracks some day!

And by Mr.India, I remind of Sridevi. Many times my mom tells me that, whenever I was crying, they used to put a video of Sridevi, and I was glued against the screen !! And yes, Hawa Hawai singer is Kavitha.

Gr8 u remember no.6 and no.3. I love Nargis in Eechak dana. And Raj is so adorable :-). No.4 is absolutely divine. Its a song you listen to in night, looking at sky. And suddenly jump off like a kid and dance around <:-). About TZP [i was sure, u r gonna put it at no.1], same case is with my 3 yr old niece. She even sings notes - Sa pa ...dha..re..(And oops..you too have eyeglasses??)

And correction, Masoom came in 1983. I never knew about the singers, thanx for the info.

A big yes on Hawa HAwaii :D- she was so cute and funny, I think she got through to ever generation with this song, as silly as it does appear now:)I've never been big on kid songs- for some reason, the songs I remember most from <5 yrs of age all had Pravin Babi (I see u like her too so there must be something there)- Burning Train and Amar Akbar Anthony remain favs :D

This 80s kid has very, very fond memories of Lakdi ki kathi! :-D I love your other selections too, though I would NEVER show Duniya mein hum aaye hain to an impressionable kid! And as a grown-up I take very strong exception to its extremely anti-feminist lyrics (Aurat hai wih aurat jise duniya ki sharam hai, indeed!), too.

I have too many childhood favorites to list them here, so I give you my two-year old nephew's favorites, in order of preference!

This is really cute and I am inspired to do a post similar to this. However, I may not include so many classics since I haven't seen that many. Thanks so much for your list. Love reading lists and coming up with my own later.

This is great! Was just thinking of kid songs the other day :-) A couple of my favorites from two nigh forgotten films. The first is from the last film that SD Burman worked on--"Tyaag" which was Sharmila Tagore's home production and had her, Rajesh Khanna and Master Tito in the main roles. I believe this number "Ek raja ka ek beta tha" was quite popular when it came out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZVEd5QWOA

The second is the inimitable RD Burman's "Master ji ki aa gayi chitthi" in Gulzar's "Kitaab". So much fun!

Nawab theBollywoodFan! Adab! You look like you're on a time out in that photo. You've provided a great list here. My favorite from the list is 3. Eechak Dana Beechak Dana from Shree 420. I also love the blackboard and pomegranate chalk drawing, since that's my favorite fruit. I did not know that anaar is the "the fruit of the heavens." I remember as a small kid having a pomegranate. Someone must have brought it for Christmas. Back then, at least in Minnesota, you'd only see them seasonally at the store, that's still true, but you see them more often. Anyway, I kept asking for "that one fruit" for a few years after eating the fruit, but my mom didn't know what I was talking about. Finally, a few years later a pomegranate showed up again at the house and I was so excited. "THAT'S IT! That's the fruit I was trying to tell you about." I still smile when I see them. SO of course that's my favorite song listed.

Thank you all so very much! I'll look forward to checking out your recommendations, there's so much to discover!

Darshit: That's a cool factoid from your bachcha days! I hear a Mr. India remake is in the works, and I'm so not excited about it. What value they will add to a classic that most of the current film consuming population has seen is beyond me. Masoom is from 1983, yes. And that's cool that your niece is in the loop with the notes!

Shweta: Sridevi's awesome! She's always been awesome. 'Hawaa Hawaaii' still works for me. It's such a great song for a carnival atmosphere, no second thoughts about it!

Richard: Please do go ahead and compile your own list, it'll certainly be very insightful, because I always discover something new when I visit your blog, and my knowledge of the classics is very limited. I'll hope to check your recommendations soon. Thank you!

Ajnabi: I'm convinced I'm one of the very few people who didn't dislike Ta Ra Rum Pum (seriously, if Billu can be praised for its morals, why not be consistent with the appreciation for morals? LOL), and I'm up to see Saif and Rani in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. I have it. And isn't 'Yun Hi Kat Jaayega Safar' just perfect? I hope you and yours still enjoy it every once in a while!

Bollyviewer: I cannot believe I forgot 'Chal Mere Ghode'! Thanks for bringing it back :) I wouldn't show 'Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hain' to a kid either, absolutely agreed on that.

There's an interesting discussion to be had on those lyrics. I do not receive the song as anti-feminist (and I am a feminist). There's that one paragraph that you rightly point out, but replace 'aurat' and 'naari' with 'mard' or even better, 'insaan', and I think it's a fair reflection of what we expect from society. I'd hope people around me cared about their dignity, and about other people! At the bare minimum, I didn't think it implied exclusivity or lack of applicability to mard zaat either, and I'm cool with being held to a universally accepted ethical standard (or human protocol, not to be confused with idealism :P), so it worked for me.

Of course, I may be looking at it from a top-level view. Mother India to me was about a resolute woman who would sing something like that, no harm done. The kids in that film were really quite awesome with their performances.

And finally, did our two year old nephews just communicate virtually through Bollywood blogs? How cool is that? :)

Nicki: Go for it! Glad you liked this. And please see the other comments for all the classics. I'm hardly good with them too. Lists are always fun, I've gotten some excellent ideas from you! (Like the Alphabet Meme).

Suhan: Welcome to my humble abode, and thank you for your comment! I can't wait to check out the songs. Would you recommend Kitaab?

Thanks for all those great links. I've seen a fair few of them already, I am pleased to say, but it was nice to follow up some new to me. So now I have absolutely got to see Shree 420! It's a classic movie I have read about lots of times. I loved that song, especially the way the kids managed to do the 'call and response' so effortlessly, remembering some quite lengthy phrases. Of course, they had rehearsed it already! I'm going to follow up Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic too as that disc arrived in the post from the rental people yesterday.

Out of the rest of your list, I think my favourite has got to be Bum Bum Bole. I never got to do it with my children's choir before I left the school, but it still might happen one day. Everyone I've introduced it to loves it.

Darshit: You just reminded me of 'Lori' from Family - Ties of Blood starring Amitabh Bachchan. Good stuff, thanks!

Kristine: Thank you. Oh, yes, Sunday from Chain Kulii is a fun song, absolutely. I didn't dislike the movie, really, Rahul Bose can make something of little. And Kasto Mazza is just brilliant. I love those lyrics!

Joss: Thank you for stopping by. That's a fun song from Shree 420, and ditto to the call and response, LOL. While compiling this list, I was thinking of how often children are shown alongside teachers and the teachers' potential partners!

Thanks for that note on Bum Bum Bole, that song certainly has its own personality. I like that it served as Aamir's introduction sequence. And I'm sure you'll get to it, and with the children's choir, it's only a matter of time!

It hasn't happened before but a lot of times I have to copy my comment, hit 'post comment' and then paste because it tells me 'your request could not be processed'. I do check to see I am logged into my google account.

I think there's an automated timeout setting in Blogger for that comment form (which we cannot modify). So, if one's been on the page for longer than the setting allows for, one will get that error message and the comment will go through the second time. The most reliable way out is, as you say, to paste it in from somewhere else (like Notepad (assuming Windows use)!). When I get that error message, the text in the form is still there. Oh well.

Adab theBollywoodFan,Thanks for the link. Yes your time out photo is cute, perhaps that's what happened. Your parents were sick of how cute you looked, so put you on a time out. Thanks for the info. on the pomegranate in paradise. Looks like I was Muslim in my last life and made it through to paradise, thus my strong recollection and identification with the pomegranate in my present life.

I thought of another kids' song that I liked, that one from Fanaa, called Chanda Chamke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanda_Chamke

It was a bit scary knowing they were singing along with that terrorist, without knowing about who he really was.

And Ajnabi and Nawab, I always have the "Ta Ra Ra Ra Rum Tararumpum" song in my mind whenever that movie is mentioned. That song and the vision of Champs mouth with blood running out of it and you can see here.

Hmmm i thought chal chal chal mere haathi should have been higher,and Miss Hava Havaii so reminds me of my childhood as well, i used to do silly things like wear my mums heels and and then sing Hava havaii.Overall thanks for a great trip down memory lane and do check out my blog, just started quite recently, will have more reviews soon.

Awesome list! My picks are Lakdi Ki Kaathi (no second thoughts!) and Haathi Mere Saathi! And although Maa from TZP may not be a "happy" kid song, I would still like to count that in too. Such a great composition!

@pitu: I have problems leaving comments here too (and on some other blogspot blogs---the Word Verification function often gives a ? and then when you are forced to try it again, your comment is gone. Grrr)...I usually give up :-)

I can't believe nobody has brought up "Mere Paas Aao" from Mr. Natwarlal---Amitabh and Master Ravi. I love that song.

QUOTE [Suhan: Welcome to my humble abode, and thank you for your comment! I can't wait to check out the songs. Would you recommend Kitaab?] END QUOTE

Just saw it again and loved it again :-) It's from the middle-of-the-road genre and I don't think I've seen anything like it. All about a little boy and slices of life from the child's perspective. This is still Gulzar in his in-love-with-Bengali-literature phase and the film is based on a work by Samaresh Basu. It also has one of my favorite songs in RD's voice "Dhanno ki aankhon mein". Worth a watch.

Welcome Bawa, and thank you for your picks! Nani Teri Morni is a fun song, absolutely. And I had no clue Neetu Singh performed as a child artist -- thanks for sharing that link, she's so comfortable at her expressive best!

Adab Sita-ji: Oh, in that case (re: previous life and paradise), you must share with me strategies for making it there! (Because I just know you're going there again, too -- faiths don't matter as much as actions do!). Chanda Chamke from Fanaa was nice, but it really reminded me of a song from Saif's Hum Tum (I think it was Yaara Yaara), a film by the same producer and music director, so the song was not too effective for me :( But yes, that plot was very interesting. And Kajol!

And LOL at that TRRP comment. I have always had this thing for cars and racing, so maybe that's why I liked the whole NASCAR angle to it. When no other film addresses it, it's bound to stand out, right? Just like when there's no Bollywood, I must make do with films from other industries :)

bollywooddeewana: Welcome and thank you for your comment. I'll be stopping by your blog soon, thanks for the info. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Bhargav: Maa from TZP is great -- those lyrics, the music, picturization, its integration, all so very beautifully done. I like its background score version too. Hope you have fun with all the songs!

Memsaab: Thanks! I remember very little of Mr. Natwarlal, definitely need to see it again. I really like the song from Parichay, somehow had completely forgotten about it. That song from Brahmachari is great too! It reminds me of a song from Rakhwala (1989), starring Anil Kapoor. I cannot find it anywhere online, but it went like this:

Tak dina din, (x2) Yeh na teri hai,Bom Bom Bom Bom, Bombay meri hai.

Essentially meaning, 'Bombay's not yours, it's mine' :) I know, it's silly, but I really enjoyed it back in the day!

Suhan: Thank you for the follow-up comment and recommendation. Kitaab's on my shopping list!

I have to say that from the many good songs in Taare Zameen Par I like Mera Jahan best. Wonderful pictures of Ishaan wandering through the streets of Mumbai. "Akela Nahin Main, Khuli Aankhon Se Neend Mein Chalta" - beautiful lyrics. So simple, yet so strong. And the voice of Adnan Sami... *sigh*

What I don't like about Bum Bum Bole is that Rahman used adults in the chorus (refrain) when there are obviously no adults in the picture... But that is just a small thing...

'Mera Jahaan' is wonderful. It really is a complete song. In addition to the music, vocals and lyrics, I particularly like how beautifully it is filmed. There's such an emphasis on colors from Ishaan's point of view! And that segment (on Marine Drive) in which he's on the bus, is just brilliant.

The only adult I hear in the Bum Bum Bole chorus is Shaan (who's sung the song; my ears aren't the best, so I could be wrong, of course), and Aamir the teacher's dancing around with the kids and his words seem to be in sync, so I never thought of that as an error on the part of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the musicians. Either way, it is a rather good song, every South Asian child I know loves it!

Excellent songs, Kanan, thanks so much for sharing! I especially love 'De di humein aazaadi', 'Tu Hindu banega na', and 'Aap yoon hi agar'. I'd listened to these songs a long time ago, but hadn't seen the picturizations! ROTFL at the Saif comment, but really, jaani pehchaani? ;)

Those who've commented have shared so many excellent tunes as well, I'm really grateful to everyone for their input!

Disclaimer

This blog is merely a labor of love. It never has and never will contain advertisements of any sort. Copyrights to images, music, and video are owned by the respective content publishers. Copyrights to the text, unless otherwise noted, are owned by me.

I do not blog on behalf of anyone but myself. Please feel free to disagree with my opinions, and read at your own risk. I shall not be held liable for any outcomes, no matter how material or otherwise :) Enjoy!

"See, I wanted to be a director, I became one. Wanted to be an actor, I became one. Wanted to make good pictures, I have done that too. Have money, have everything. But I have nothing left."

Guru Dutt

"The world screams and shouts all kinds of advice and suggestions and actions to be undertaken, but in the end you fight your battles alone. It's just you and your opponent, your issue, your problem."

Amitabh Bachchan

"While we can use cinema as a medium to teach, create awareness, make people think, make people socially more aware, etc., the fact is that cinema's primary purpose is to entertain."